Border staff strike to not affect travellers insists BAA

The BAA has advised London Heathrow passengers not to make any changes to their travel plans today, in spite of a 24-hour walk-out that has been planned by vital airport border staff.

Fliers arriving at Heathrow have unfortunately experienced delays of anything up to three hours in recent weeks as a result of a border staff shortage, with it widely-feared that today’s walkout will spell further disruption. In a row over planned pension reforms by the government, thousands of immigration staff will go on strike at Heathrow and a string of other major UK hubs.

In a bid to prevent mass panic, a spokesperson representing BAA said that no delays are currently being experienced at immigration and contingency plans remain in place to guarantee that the rest of the day will see minimal disruption. In a statement, BAA said that the Home Office has given assurances that the mentioned contingency plans have been tried and tested. It also advised passengers not to change their plans.

The UK’s flagship carrier, British Airways, which is also the sole airline operating in Terminal 5 at Heathrow, has said that it is to continue with its normal flight schedule in spite of the planned strikes. A statement released by Manchester Airport said that Britain’s second-largest hub is working in order to minimise disruption for fliers, who are asked to assist staff by making sure that they have all of their travel documents ready for inspection at immigration.